William kennedy



WILLIAM KENNEDY, OF NEW LONDON, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Pate-nt No. 80,186, dated July 21., 1868. y

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLLAM KENNEDY, of New London, Chester county, State .of Pennsylvania., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Wheels; and-I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sulicient toenable `any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertailns to make and use my saidinvention or improvements without fui-.ther invention or enperiment.

The nature of my invention andimprovements consists in constructing a horizontal water-wheel with two rims or drums for buckets on the same axis, one mainly above the other, andthe upper one being curved inward towards the axis, from the top downward, so as to contract its diameter at the bottom, and make it considerably less than the top diameter of the lower drum, in order that the water from both sets of buckets may be discharged downward; that from the set on the upperdrum passing down between the upper and lower drums, and that from the lower set passing down between the'lowcr drum andthe surrounding case ot' the wheel.

In describing my improvements, I-refer to the accompanying drawings, forming part df this specification- Figure 1 being a plan or top view of the case of the wheel, with onehalf of the cover left of` to show the positionv of the gutes in the water-passages, and

Figure 2 an elevation of the wheel, the `right-hand halt' being a section through the centre, to show the relative position ofthe two rims or drums. i

A is the central shaft of the wheel, whic'hlmay turn in a step at thebottom, and be held-in position by a journal in abrace or beam at the top, or in any ot' the methods in common usc for supporting the shafts of horizontal water-wheels. i i i |Ihev onse B, surrounding the wheel, has through its vertical sides the` passagesEE, by which` water is admitted to the wheel F, turning in the direction indicated by the arrow. l

The-gatos 1 2 .'drc hung within the passages, and against the rear side, (in reference to the revolutionof the whech) having at the back edge a circular b'oss, tting in a circular recess in the wall of' thcpassage, and turning on a rod orgbolt passing down through th contre of said boss. i

`The gate l is shown closed, the gate 2 partly open, and 3 still wider open. A boss isalso. formed at thc front edge of the gate, on the outside, into which :a vertical rod may be inserted, for regulating thc movements and pcsitionof the gute; Said rod passing up through a slot in thc cover of the case, and being connected by the strap G to the circuler plate H on the top of tliecovcr. The plate His riveted to the plate I, and this again to the lever J, both the plates and lever 'turning on the shaf't A. The outer end ot' the'lever lmay be `moved by a crank, with rack and pinion, or hy other suitable device, and by its motion the gutes will be drawn open or closed, according to the direction in which it ismoved, and thus the width ofthe opening may be regulated, and the water cut oli' at the mostfadvantag'eous point, under the circumstances of each particular case. As the gate is opened, thepressure ofthe head of water without -will force a 'vertical sheet, wider or narrower, according to the width of' the opening, directly along thc straight wall or guide K to the circumference of the wheel at L, striking it about in the direction oi' a tangent to the circumferenceInt that?` point, and extending inward from the circumference only accordingto the width of the sheet. f

By this arrangement the water is applied :it the most advantagcouspoint, and in the most advantageous direction, without losing any of its `force by having its direction changed :ii-'tor =pas`sing thc point at which the full force of' the head ot' water acts, for if its direction bc in 'any waychanged,l after passing that point, by gates or guides, :t port-ion of its force isl in accordance with a. well-knownmechanical principle, necessarily lost.

In constructing my double-rim wheel, I support the upper rim, N, fig. 2, by thc topF and the conical brace O, or by arms in place of the conical brace, und contract its diameter from thc top downward, according to the width of the bucket I), to be placed upon it, and extend it downward somewhat below thctop of thc lower rim R. Thon making the lower pa-rt of the bucket of such width that it will just reach from the inner or upper rim to the outer or lower one, andjoining one edge to one rim, and the other to the other ri'm, where itpasses down ohliquely, and nearly horizontally between them, I thus connect thc lower rim to the upper, and support it.

The diameter ofthe lower rim is contracted from the top downward, soas to make u space between theicase and the rim, for a. bucket ofafbout' half the width of those on the upper rim. l

By this arrangement the water from both sets or series of buckets is discharged downward from the tail of the bucket, that from the upper series passing downA between the two rims, and that from the lower series passing down in like manner between the rim and the case. Y

The foregoing being a. description of my improvements in wetter-wheels, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is A The above-described water-wheel, having an upper and lower vrim, and two sets of buckets, arranged in rela.- tion to each other substantially as described.

WILLIAM KENNEDY.

YWitnesses:

' J. DENNIS, Jr.,

WM. DENNIS. 

